Ultimate Las Vegas

9:15am - The plane finally arrives in the terminal and as my girlfriend and I walk out we are greeted by my good friends, who's plane arrived at the airport about 20 minutes before us.   We get our baggage, get on the bus for Dollar Rent-a-Car, and go pick up our ride for the next 3 days.

After this experience I highly recommend going the rental car route if you plan on seeing both sides of Vegas (High Profile Strip, and Downtown).  The car came in handy when we were exhausted from walking up and down the strip and it gave us the freedom to checkout other hotels a little off the strip such as the Rio, Hard Rock, etc.  Plus at the rate of about $22/day for an intermediate level car you can't go wrong, one taxi ride will almost set you back as much.  Oh, and in Vegas the parking is FREE.

Our first destination, since we couldn't check-in the hotel until around 3pm, was the Hoover Dam.  I've been to Vegas two times prior to this trip, but the Dam was something I never had the chance to check out.  It is definitely something worth seeing, especially if you have the free-time in the morning like we did.  It's an easy 30-40 minute drive from the airport, and the scenery on the drive is pretty incredible.  Lots of good photo-ops available so be sure to pack that camera.

Once we got to the Dam we took the Discovery Tour, which is the only tour they have now.  It'll set you back about $10/person and includes a little video to introduce you to the Dam's history.  Afterwards, you'll go down and see the generators that make the Dam work, and walk through some of the tunnels made.  Then you get to go to the top of the Dam, and see the view from that perspective.  It is pretty amazing up there.  The guided tour is a little long and will take you about an hour, after which you have time to check out their exhibits.  If you're like us though, you'll probably want to skip the exhibits and get the rest of your vacation started.  It's Vegas, there's tons to do.

The four of us all get back in the car and head to the Mandalay Bay, our hotel for the first two days of this trip.  We check in to our room which is pretty nice, but don't expect anything incredible.  I've stayed at the New York, New York and the MGM Grand, and the rooms are all comparable.  Don't get me wrong they're nice rooms, with big bathtubs and lots of room.  Just don't expect Plasma TV's and contempory styled furniture/decor with rain/multi-jet showers.  We did have a nice view of the Mandalay Bay Beach and Pool area which was a plus.  And because of that, we decided to make that area our next stop. To the pool....

Now, I was hyped about the Mandalay Bay Beach/Pool area.  The hotel will boast about it's wave pool, lazy river, and multiple pools in its sales literature, and that's what sold me on this hotel.  I thought it'd be nice to spend some time at a mini-Wet'n'Wild if you will, that would give us some entertainment outside of the casino. 

With that state of mind, I have to admit I was a little disappointed in the Beach/Pool area.  The wave pool they had only did one wave about every 5 -10 minutes.  As opposed to the wave pools I'm more accustomed to at Wet'N'Wild, Schlitterbahn, Noah's Ark, or any water park I've been too, that will do continuous waves for like 5 minutes, break for 10 mins, then continuous waves again for 5.   So that right off the bat was a little disappointing.  Still fun, but just not what I was expecting. 

The lazy river also was pretty small, especially compared to MGM Grand, whose pool area I would definitely recommend.  I was expecting the river to be a pretty long "float," if you will, taking me around the whole park.  Instead it was just a mini 3-5 minute loop adjacent to the wave pool.  Since we're talking about pools here, my buddies and I did check out the Hard Rock Pool one of the nights, even though it was closed, and I must say thier pool area looked pretty money.  It was very substanstial, and posh, but I hear it gets crazy crowded on the weekends too, especially for Rehab on Sundays (which could be good/bad depending on your style).

So, I guess you got to take your chances and pick what suits you best.  Once again, I'm not trying to be a downer on everything, I had fun here, the pool area has great scenery, beautiful palm trees everywhere and is setup very nice.  It just didn't quite live up to my expectations.  The Bay does have plenty of Cabanas, with Plasma TV's in 'em that you can rent out and hang by the pool also, if that's your thing.

OK, we got our pool time in, time to move on.  We headed back to our room, and got ready for the night.  My girlfriend, and my friend's wife got tickets to Mystere, a Cirque De Soleil show at Treasure Island.  So they had to get some dinner before that.  We needed something quick, casual, and moderately-priced and Raffle's Cafe in Mandalay Bay fit that need.  This restaurant is going to offer you your standard American Fare, hamburgers, sandwiches, salads, steaks, fish, fajitas etc.  Things you'd find on the menu at a Chili's, TGI Friday's, or other casual joint, you'll find here.  The quality is also about this level as well, and average entree price is $8-12.

After the dining, we got in our rental car, and drove the ladies to the Cirque Show.
Good tip if you find yourself driving in Vegas.  Stay away from Las Vegas Blvd, aka The Strip.  It'll take you 15-20 minutes to go a few blocks.  Get on the Frontage roads instead, you'll save tons of time and it seemed like nobody used them when we were there.

While the girls were at the Cirque show, my buddy and I did some more gambling and casino-hopping.  Not much more to add here, except always bet on black.

Time to meet back up with the girls and get the night moving along.  The girls loved the Cirque show, and definitely said it was worth the money.  I recommended the Mystere show to them from some reviews I read.  It sounded like the show that had the most talented, athletic performers and judging from their comments this seems to be true.  It is also cheaper than Ka, or O, so I would definitely recommend it.  My girlfriend isn't easily impressed, and she loved this show.  So take that for what it's worth.

Back at the hotel, we decided to hit a club in the hotel.  We had some free passes to Forty Deuce from a coupon book we got with our hotel reservation.  So we we checked it out.  This place is kind of like a burlesque, jazz club.  There's not much real estate in the place, and it was packed so it was tough to get around.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this place, but a few minutes after we got there one of the walls rotate and there's a three person band (guitar, drums, sax).  They play some fifties style music, like Private-Eye theme sounding stuff, so it puts you in kind of in a cool, snazzy mood.  Not long after the band starts up this girl comes out from the curtain and starts doing a strip-tease dance.  She doesn't get totally nude, and you don't see anything, so most people wouldn't get offended. And plenty of girls were having a good time here, because the performers are very talented dancers.  Overall a good time/experience was had here. Worth checking out for free.

The Forty Deuce concluded our first day in Vegas.  Girls were tired, My buddy and I were tired, so we hit the hay.  But not for long.

We all woke up fairly early, around 9am and were ready to hit some breakfast.  We drove down to the Paris Hotel/Casino, and wandered through their mall for breakfast options.  There was  a long line for the Le Village Buffet, which offers a French buffett of course, and a short wait for Le Cafe Ile St. Louis restaurant nearby.  We opted for the shorter wait, and sat "outside."  I use the term this way because you're seated at what looks like a patio, and the ceiling is painted like a blue partly cloudy day to give you the feeling of being outside, but really you're just in the hotel.  The food here was priced about average for Vegas, $8-12 for moderate breakfast.  I got the French Toast, and it was just OK.  Just american style french toast like you'd get at IHOP or something, not done up bread pudding style or anything fancy like that.  For that you'll need to check out Bouchon at the Venetian.

After breakfast, my friends decided to do some casino sight-seeing, while my girlfriend and I went the outlet shopping route.  We drove to the Las Vegas Premium Outlets not too far off the strip.  My girlfriend and I enjoy shopping and finding deals on some nice designer clothes, so this place seemed like it was worth checking out.  However, once again I was a little disappointed.  There weren't enough unique/high end stores and the outlet in general just wasn't that big.  I'm comparing this to San Marcos Outlet center in Texas though, so maybe that is a little unfair.  My girlfriend did find a few nice things at French Connection, and Kenneth Cole though. 

After the short shopping diversion we met back up with my friends, and decided to hit the Mandalay Pool again.  If you walk South down past the Wave Pool, and up some stairs you'll get to the South Lagoon (I think that's what it was called).  This area had a nice medium-sized pool and generously sized hot tub, plus didn't look like many people knew about it because it was less crowded than the other areas, and less kids running around.  We spent some time here, and just relaxed for a bit.

At the pool, we realized we hadn't done any real gambling yet.  So we all headed out, got cleaned up and took to the scene.  I don't really need to tell you anything here, just that our girls seemed to enjoy playing craps and roulette.  So if you're trying to get your significant other into the whole casino thing, might want to try and start there.

I made reservations for Prime Steakhouse at Bellagio for my girlfriend and I.  This place was touted as being one of the best, if not The Best, steakhouses in Vegas.  I hadn't had a really nice meal in a whle though, so this sounded like a good option.  Now for those wondering, The Steakhouse at Circus Circus is actually supposed to have "The Best" steak in town.  But the atmosphere, and area of Circus Circus just seems like it would take away from the whole experience of eating and enjoying a really good meal.  I've never been to The Steakhouse so I can't say for certain, but this definitely influenced my decision of where to spend my money.  If you sound like you might be more like me, get a reservation for Prime, request a table by the window with a view of the famous Bellagio fountains, get dressed up and have a memorable dining experience. 

Prime definitely is a great restaurant, the decor and styling, and most of all the view put you at ease and the service we had was great.  My girlfriend and I had the "Ribbons of Tuna" appetizer and it was quite phenomenal.  I know some may hear the word "tuna," and immediately think of that stinky meat you get in a can.  But this is by no means that kind of meal.  If you are a fan of Sushi, like myself, you'll probably enjoy this dish.  I highly recommend it, the sauce, presentation, and flavors were all A grade.  For entrees I got the signature Veal Chop with Kumquat-Pineapple Chutney and caramelized cauliflower, my lady got the Porterhouse, each are priced about $50.  For a side dish we also got the Ginger Sweet Potatos, which I also highly recommend.  It is served in a dish big enough for 2 to share, and is basically creamed sweet potatoes with hints of ginger.  Quite sweet, but very delicious.   The steaks are served with 5 different sauces, which was an idea I liked a lot.  The sauces let you experience different flavors with the meat so each bite is new.  But if you find something you especially like, stick to that.  The steak was rather exceptional, and we took our timing exploring the different sauces and enjoying the fountain shows every 10-15 minutes.  If you do come here, be sure to ask the waiter to make you a reservation for the courtyard next-door for dessert.  This is a great way to finish the night.  Outside on the patio, seated up next to the fountains you can feel the mist of the fountains as the show goes on, and crisply hear the "crackle and boom" of the water as it shoots from the pool into the sky and back again.  This was probably the most memorable experience I've had in Vegas.  Prime was definitely Prime Time.

While we were at Prime my friend and his wife went to the Penn & Teller show at the Rio.  They thoroughly enjoyed that, and after the show even got a chance to meet them.  They said both the guys were totally nice and down-to-earth, and meeting them made them appreciate their work even more.









Meeting back up at Mandalay Bay, we headed to the Foundation Room.  Which is the happening spot in Vegas on Monday Night.  We got some passes from the hotel front desk, and called in advance to put our name on the list.  But to tell you the truth, I don't think any of that was necessary.  We just walked up to the front of what looked like a VIP line, with a girl holding a clipboard.  I told her I had reservations and they just let us in, she didn't look at the list and didn't look at our passes. 

This place was money.  You can walk outside, and immediately realize you are on the top floor of Mandalay Bay.  The view is breathtaking, and incredible.  There are three separate rooms at the Foundation Room, one Hip Hop, one 80's and one Top 40.  The hip hop room was happening when we were there, and we definitely had a good time dancing, and enjoying the scene.  I highly recommend this place also.  We took the car and decided to check out some more clubs at other casino's. But everything else was closed and all other casinos were dead.  We go back to Mandalay Bay, and that place was still hopping.  So if you're in Vegas on Monday, look no further than Mandalay Bay.  Every club in there was booming.

My girlfriend and I made reservations for The BathHouse Spa, in TheHotel at Mandalay Bay.  I've heard a lot of things about this spa, so I was interested in trying it out.  I arranged an appointment for a massage, and she was scheduled to get a body wrap.  Upon signing in you get a key to a personal locker, and some sandals.  We each headed to our respective locker rooms, and began our BathHouse experience.  Once you get to your locker you can get changed into your robe, and explore the amenities for a bit, before your appointment.  This place is absolutely amazing in design,and everything about it makes you feel calm and peaceful.

There is a row of lounge chairs with magazines and newspapers, in case you didn't bring your own.  A table for muffins, and assorted fruit, coffee, tea, and water.  There is both a hot tub, cold tub,  eucalyptus  steam room, and  sauna, as well as individual rain showers.   The bath area also is equipped with all the amenities you would need to get ready for the day, shaving cream, razors, hair gel, anti-perspirant, blow dryer, etc. 

I chose to have the 30 minute Massage Blend, and after I scoped out the area, one of the spa attendants escorted me to my massage room.  I got a great massage here, and the masseuse used some techniques that I've never before experienced.  The experience was very therapeautic, and a soft, soothing, tingling sensation ran through my body well after the massage.   I then walked down to the lounge area again, and  relaxed in the hot tub for a while.  I really took everything in here, and loved every minute of it.  After soaking, and lounging on the chair with some muffins and cucumber water, I took to the Eucalyptus Steam Room.  The smell of the eucalyptus is very relaxing, and I just lounged in here for a bit also, thinking to myself that this is what vacation is about.

After the steam room, I headed for the showers, and got ready for the day using their facilities.  I spent about 2 and a half hours here total, and even though I got like 4 hours of sleep I felt like a new and energized man.  You also have the privilege to come back to the spa anytime you like for that day, and can use their gym as well, but they close at 8pm.  This is another place I highly recommend you check out.

I'm feeling amazing,and ready to take on the world, but it's time for us to get ready to change hotels.  We arranged to spend one night in Downtown Vegas, so we could experience both sides of this town.  So back to our room to pack up and move on.  We got great rates at the Golden Nugget hotel, only like $65/night, so that's where we chose to stay.  We got settled in there, and did a bit of casino-hopping before heading to Emeril's New Orleans Fish House at MGM Grand. 

This was another fabulous restaurant, and offers great entrees with a little cajun flare and seasonings.  I got the Surf and Turf and it was superb.  Crab meat in mashed potatoes, perfectly cooked filet mignon, and absolutely delicious shrimp.  I ate every last bite.  My girlfriend got the Texas Red Fish, and she loved it also.  It had a great crunchy crust, with many complex flavors, very savory.  Although we were stuffed, we opted for dessert as well.  I had heard a lot about the Banana Creme Pie, so I was anxious to try it.  It was very good, and the crust was delicious, but it wasn't as amazing as a few people had made it out to be.  My girlfriend got the Creme Brulee, which was also very good but not exceptional.  I would definitely recommend Emeri's though, we had a great time and service was also very good.

After dinner, we went check out the Pure Nightclub at Caesar's Palace.  This night there happened to be an FHM Cover Party featuring Tera Patrick, and the line was very long.  It moved along quick enough for us to decide to wait it out, though.  The Pure Nightclub was a pretty nice club.  Although, I was expecting a little more from the way some people were describing it.  There were lots of people, and dance floor went from mildy crowded to packed-city around midnight. 

My friend spotted Tera Patrick in a VIP area, a little elevated from the dance floor.  But it was kind of strange, because there she was no more than 8 feet away and not many people seemed to notice or care.  Pure also had a balcony area you can walk out onto, but after hitting the Foundation Room the night before it didn't really compare.  We still had a pretty good time here and seeing Tera Patrick in person has to count as a plus. 

After Pure, it was time to scope out the Downtown Vegas Scene.  The four of us did some more casino hopping, and this area was much less crowded than the newer area.  We spent some time at Fitzgerald's, Horsheshoe, and Main Street Station, and had no trouble finding tables we could all play on together.  I had quite a streak going on Blackjack at Main Street Station, so that was pretty exciting.  We concluded the night just enjoying casino games amongst good company.


 

We woke up a little later than we expected, all the walking and late nights of Vegas finally caught up with us.  We didn't have much time to pack, get lunch, and bounce for the airport so we rushed as much as we could.  Once we checked out, and got the car loaded up, we looked for something to eat. 

Off the highway was Rio, and I had heard about the Carnival World Buffet, so this seemed like a good thing to close the trip with.  As we were walking into the buffet a woman stopped and offered us her $5 discount coupons for the buffet, she wasn't going to get the chance to use them so we took them off her hands.  So, I guess you could find these in one of those free Las Vegas magazines you see around, if you plan to make a stop at the Rio.   Saved $20 for the four us, so worth checking out.

I have to say I was impressed by the Rio Carnival World Buffet, and it definitely was the best buffet I've had in Vegas.  However, I haven't been to many buffets in Vegas, so you got to take that for what it's worth (I've only been to Luxor Buffet, and Main Street Garden Buffet).  There were multiple stations offering cuisine from many areas of the world, hence the name World Buffet.  There were pancakes, sausage, hash browns, and other typical breakfast fare (muffins, croissants, pastries,etc).  There was a build your own stir fry section, kind of like a mongolian grill type thing.  You give them the ingredients (snap peas, water chestnuts, broccoli, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, ginger, etc) and tell them what meat you want (chicken, steak, shrimp) and they grill it up for you.  Toasted Ravioli, and other pastas and italian food fare was at the station adjacent to this.  They had Roast, Prime Rib, Pizza, Chinese food, Mexican food, and American fare, at the other stations.  I know I'm forgetting a few things but I'm sure you'll find whatever you want here. 

The dessert bar had plenty of options I had to try.  They have multiple flavors of gelato, although it was very soft and wasn't the thick, creamy, gelato I'm used to eating.  Mini Creme Brulees, Mini Key Lime Pies, Eclairs, Crepes, Caramelized Bananas, Cakes, etc were all there for eating.  I'm sure I sampled about five different desserts and they were all pretty darn good.  Overall, this place was a great buffet, and I would come here again.

Well, with our stomachs stuffed, it was time to get on the airport and come to an end to our Vegas trip.  We all definitely had a great time, and look forward to making Las Vegas another one of our vacation destinations sometime soon.  I hope some of you find this write-up helpful, and at least gives you some options to consider if you find yourself in Las Vegas.

-CP